Carr Peak with Hansel

https://www.strava.com/activities/5708836537

This was my last day to attempt the hike before school opens up. I had garden chores in the morning and wasn't ready to head out until after noon. It was 73F at the start. Skies were cloudy and there was a 30 percent chance of rain mid afternoon. I started the hike at 1: 12 pm.

I took Hansel. He was eager for this hike. He was off leash the entire time. We only met four people and they were coming from the peak. 

What a change from last month. It was green, the usual flowers were out and there was water both in the springs and along the waterfall.  The dominant flower was the sunflower.  Red Penstemons were near the top, but not in the abundance of earlier years. 

Humidity was high. I was drenched from the start. There was also no wind. Hansel was warm in the sun at the start. We didn't reach cooling shade for another mile.

It was good to see the forest lush out, with water  in the drainages. What a change from last month, when all the flora was struggling. Even the panorama was mostly green. There were grey clouds over the mule mtns in Bisbee, and it rumbled a few times from that direction, but nothing fell over the Huachucas.

It took us almost two hours (!!!) to get to the peak.

The only thing that was absent was the presence of lady bugs.  They are normally on and near the peak mating in late July, but this year there were no beetles.  I'm thinking their long presence on the peak into the winter months has thrown the beetles' cycle off kilter.

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We came across two young men running down the trail to avoid the storm that never came, and then a young couple with two friendly offleash dogs.  They apologized for their dogs being offleash, but I told them that dogs are more friendly when they aren't leashed.  I didn't have Hansel on a leash and didn't even pack one.

I decided to bushwhack a bit on the return hike, but ended up taking longer to finish the 5.7-mile hike.  I came back on the trail just below the trough.  Terrain was very steep and loose and I don't plan on doing that bushwhack again, but it was interesting to see deer trails (or were they human trails?) along ridges.  I had a northern view most of the time. Hansel had caught a scent and took me right down and back to the trail.

I like these afternoon hikes.  There are usually fewer people on the trails then and today there were no other people around as I drove down the mountain.

It was driving down the mountain that I realized I had my first day of school tomorrow!  Oh wow, where did the summer go?  It's all classroom prep stuff; kids return on Wednesday.

Lunch with Eric in Tempe

It was a cool 66F when I awoke, the coldest overnight temperature on this road trip.  It felt so good!  I got on the road before sunrise.  Sunrise wasn't dramatic anyway with all the rain clouds still overhead.

The desert west of Grants had flash flooding overnight.  I'm glad I stayed out of that, but in the morning I saw the wet desert, flood and water markings in the sand.  Desert sage ane d sand stone buttes were the dominant landscape.  The dramatic clouds added a beauty to this desolate place; I had forgotten how beautiful this part of New Mexico is.  I haven't been back since my 2009 stay with Sadie; I really should get back.

I stopped at an old rock shop off I-40.  There was no one there and it was perhaps abandoned.  A "closed: sign hung from the front door.  Samples of petrified wood were for the taking.  Plastic dinosaurs and classic cars added to the horizon.  I let the pups run free here to pee.

They enjoyed this run in the soft, wet sand.  They didn't want to come back when I called for them.  I could have easily driven off and abandoned them and they wouldn't have known.  That was not my intention, but Sheba's constant stubbornness is grating on me.  Sahne comes when I call for her, but then hesitates when she sees her sister still running around exploring her world.

I turned off the interstate at Holbrook, taking AZ377, then AZ277 and then gassed up south of Heber-Overgaard.  This was high pine country.  I don't think I've ever been here.  I made an ass out of myself when I drove off from the gas station with the gas nozzle still in my tank.  The tube luckily popped out without any damage, but one guy who saw my mishap ran off as if expecting an explosion.  Was I still very sleep deprived to not think clearly?  The clerk ran off and wasn't angry, just adding that she will need to call a technician to remount the gas nozzle.  I'm sure I made lots of friends at that gas station. 

Highway 260 is beautiful here.  I was driving in low fog clouds as I approached the Mongollon Rim rail and the General Crook trail, a 138-mile trail that Crook used on mules.  The eastern terminus is right off the highway here.  I wanted to walk a mile of this trail, but it was too muddy from the overnight rain.  Campers were  in the dispersed sites and one lone woman was running six miles of it to train for a marathon.

The dogs enjoyed the water along the trail.   Sahne even got dangerously close to the edge when she hopped down one ledge.  These pups have no fear! I walked out 3/4 mile before turning around.  I was at 7000' elevation and it was 60F.  What a great day for a hike, but I still had 136 miles on winding, curving roads.  

Highway 260 took me to Payson.  Here I turned off at AZ87.  This took me through the Four Peaks Wilderness which showed off fresh damage from the wild fires last year.  This year the forest was closed by the governor to prevent another fire in the area. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-wildfires/2020/06/17/arizonas-bush-fire-now-size-mesa/3205835001/  I stopped briefly in the drizzle to walk part of the Ballentine trail, and to change my clothes into something more appealing for my lunch date with Eric.  I've yet to hike in the Four Peaks Wilderness.

It was cool and overcast when I got to Gilbert's OHSO brewery.  Temperatures also got warmer and more humid.  I opted not to take the pups inside the brewery because they have proven to be assholes around other dogs lately.  I stayed in the brewpub longer than expected, but they survived their time in the car in the shade.

I got to OHSO right at 11am and the place was already crowded.  Who drinks beer that early?  Well, my question was answered quickly:  OHSO serves a weekend breakfast-brunch that includes one pint of beer or a mimosa.   They open at 9am on weekends for this. A lot of people seem to like that!

Eric and Margarit came in at noon.  I had already ordered a hummusboard as an appetizer, but ruined it when I spilled my glass of water over it. I also had a BBQ chicken sandwich with a Bob Hefe.  Eric had chicken waffles and Margarit had towered pancakes coated with Fruity Pebbles.  I was hungry as I hadn't eaten since my late meal at Cane's in Amarillo.

Eric's been out of the air force for two weeks and already sporting a think beard.  How did he manage that? 

"I started growing my beard three weeks before getting out.  No one noticed because we had to wear face masks!"  He then continued "What would they have done to me?  Write me up a week before getting out?" Beard aside, Eric's looking happier and healthier now, albeit sleep deprived.  He still has sleeping issues he had years ago when he lived with Kevin and me.

We had a lot to talk about, but that will wait for future visits.  I just wanted to see him and welcome him and his wife to Arizona.  They are already liking the lower prices on everything, from gasoline (from $4.50 in Fairfield, CA to $3.25 in Phoenix) to rent and food.  So many new California emigrants feel the same way.

An hour later I was on my drive home, stopping to walk another mile around the Gilbert Water Preserve, a developed trail network around three ponds.  Again the dogs were being assholes.  Sheba even got out of her collar to attack another dog.  By now I had had it with their aggression.  

My last stop for the day was at the Tucson Costco, where I gassed up for $2.64/gallon, the cheapest on my road trip.  I stopped by to drop off the beer I got Steve; we chatted for a bit while the two hellion dogs stayed in my Honda because they wanted to harass Trace.

I was home by 8:30pm.  I had driven 5078.2 miles since leaving my driveway on July 8th, 2453.4 miles was from the return drive.  Again I was attacked by more dogs: Hansel, Gretel, Fritz, Wolfie, Gretchen all came to the fence to welcome me.  Sadie and Minnie and Zeke followed.  Then everyone fought over who would sleep by my side in the bed later on.

I enjoyed my conversation with Kevin, who seemed more relaxed for not having to deal with Sheba and Sahne for three weeks.  Gretel is getting spayed on Tuesday and I have appointments for Fritz and Wolfie to get neutered on August 3rd.  Fritz has gotten so big in the last three weeks, he's outgrown his collar.

Today was an active day with several short hikes, cool weather, and spending time with Eric.  But now that I've driven through northern New Mexico again, feel a need to take time to explore the area around Grants again.  My friends are telling me to stop in El Morro National Monument, which is near the Malpais National Monument.  Dogs are allowed in both places.  I already know there are at least two good breweries nearby!  Best to do it in the fall.

https://www.nps.gov/elmo/index.htm

https://www.nps.gov/elma/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm

Santa Rosa and Grants, NM

I must have been exhausted as I fell asleep sitting upright and woke up refreshed to a cool sunrise.  My goal was to get as far west as I could.  I haven't been getting the mileage in when compared to my drive to Indiana, but I have been enjoying the stops to hike and taste good local brew.

I was on the interstate by 8am and just drove and drove.  I didn't do the usual stops along Route 66 until I got to Santa Rosa.  I could do the lake perimeter trail along Santa Rosa Lake, I thought, but instead found a small city park with easy access to the El Rito creek.  The pups appreciated this water break.  A paved path led south along the creek to a larger pond with cordoned-off ropes for public swimming.  I saw cars and small RVs here; where was the entrance?  I saw a sign for SHOWERS and was interested in one, but the crowds and admission fee was a turn off.  I also didn't want my barky dogs to ruin it for everyone else

The pups appreciated this water break.  A paved path led south along the creek to a larger pond with cordoned-off ropes for public swimming.  I saw cars and small RVs here; where was the entrance?  I saw a sign for SHOWERS and was interested in one, but the crowds and admission fee was a turn off.  I also didn't want my barky dogs to ruin it for everyone else and opted to save my shower for Kirtland Air Force base.  I will note this stop for future short walks with dogs.  The Big Hole, a natural deep swimming hole with 62F water is nearby, but divers pay $15 admission AND $10 to park.

My next stop was in Albuquerque at the family camp to shower.  I didn't stop anywhere else.  It was now early afternoon and was hoping to make it to Holbrook for the night, but skies were filling up fast with storm clouds.

I didn't walk much today.  Storms developed and I hit a downpour east of Grants, NM.  I have fond memories of my hike with Sadie up Mount Taylor in 2009.  It was our last big hike before that final push back home and we celebrated with a hotel room.  Now  there are two breweries on the west side of town, both easily accessed off I-140.  I visited both.

My first stop was at the Junkyard Brewery off Route 66.  It still looks like a junkyard from the outside.    This appears to be a local favorite, as at least six native-looking men were at the bar telling war stories.  I felt like I was interrupting a conversation when I walked in, grabbed a table in the rear of the room, opened up my Chromebook to recharge it and my phone, and then walked to the bar to order a Pinon pine lager.  

The beer tasted better than expected, with a caramel finish.  I sat here and enjoyed the localness of this place.  Tables were made from classic car grills and tables were weighted down with car wheel wells.  All the beers had car names.   Beers were served in plastic cups. The larger room also had a few classic Corvettes that Susan would have appreciated.

I then stopped at the Elkins Brewery on the south side of I-40 https://www.elkinsbrewing.com/.  This place is new and has an upscale feel to it, especially after coming from the Junkyard Brewery.  I was immediately welcomed by the barkeeper, Joe, who is a Mescalero Apache.  He was entertaining a table of five who clearly already had sampled quite a few beers, but Joe's talent was that he engaged with everyone who came in.  He asked me for my name and then remembered it.  I had a flight of four beers, then had a Honey ale and stayed awhile to let the rain pass.

Joe made this visit memorable. What a natural-born storyteller! Born and raised in Grants, he only left once in 1971.

"Why did you leave?" I asked

"I was drafted" he said, and then told me stories about his years as a Special Forces sniper both in Vietnam and in Central America in the late 1970s.  If his stories are to be believed, he should write a book, but may have to leave out the classified information.

The area was already flooded from recent rains and more rain was in the forecast.  

I should have camped out in Grants for the night, but felt I was too far away from Phoenix to be able to meet my son Eric in Tempe for lunch tomorrow.  More rain fell as I left, so I made the first big truck stop west of Grants my stop for the night.  So did a good thousand other drivers, as this place was packed with cars.

Mount Nebo State Park Rim Trail

It was another hazy morning. I couldn't wait to get on the trail!  After a stop at Starbucks and McDonalds, we were on the drive to the trailhead.

Temperatures in central Arkansas were forecasted to reach the mid 90s with a heat index of 101.  Oh good god, that meant swamp butt in no time.  We got started on the trail shortly after 8am and I felt my pores open up.  At least the trail was mostly shaded, and there was water for the dogs.  I was wet with sweat when I got done. 

I met only one family on this trail.  The trail covered the perimeter of the rim, around campgrounds and rental cabins.  People were sitting outside their cabins drinking and enjoying the views.  They were not hiking. It was no a secluded hike, but at least the views were nice. And I was thankful for the three drainages that gave the dogs water.  I'm sure a sunrise hike followed by a sunset hike (or even a full moon hike) would be spectacular here.

My phone was low on battery juice again (what's up with that anyway?) so I pushed us hard to finish the four miles in under two hours before losing power. 

I enjoyed this hike.  There are other trails that go around the hill at lower elevations and if I had had time, I'd have done a double loop.  But not in this humidity.  I knew I had no choice but to get back on the highway and get as far west as possible tonight.

I took US64 west into Fort Smith, then got on I-40 and didn't get off the interstate until I hit Hinton, OK and the turn-off to Red Rock Canyon Park.  This is a small park mostly for rock climbers, rappelers and campers.  I paid my $10 and parked to wash my hair, let the dogs drink from the creek, and then hike the mile-long nature trail.  Again my phone was low on power so I didn't continue with the longer Canyon Rim trail, but I will leave that for another visit as I wanted to get to Amarillo before the brewpubs there closed at 10. I barely made it, too.

 

I discovered while googling the address for the Long Wooden Spoon brewery that the place had permanently closed a month ago.  Oh, no!  That really soured me, as I was hoping to stop in that dog-friendly small brewery and chat with the hosts Jared and Kim again.  Did they fall victim to the pandemic?  Which, by the way, is far from over as numbers everywhere are spiking again.  Or did they fall victim to the competition of two additional brewpubs that opened up in Amarillo in 2019 that are closer to downtown?

I was hungry and also wanting a beer (I associate Amarillo with good beer and food) so I stopped by the Pondeseta brewery.  The dogs were resting in the car and it was cool and breezy in town.  What a change from earlier in the day. The place was alive!  

I was at this brewpub in 2019 when it had just opened and I didn't like the anti-dog attitude, but tonight I was treated politely by an over-enthusiastic and skinny server wearing a manbun. I only had 45 minutes before the place closed, and told him I needed a table near an electrical outlet so I could charge my phone and Chromebook. I have to admit, the beer here is good.

I had two more things before I could call it a day: get something to eat and walk the dogs one more time around the John Stiff dog park, which closes at midnight.   My meal was a chicken fingers sandwich at Cane's, my first time eating at a Cane's, and the dogs got a special treat of three plain bacon cheeseburgers from Burger King.  Those $1 burgers have fed the pups quite a few times on this road trip. 

Jonesboro AR and the Craigshead Lake Forest Park; North Little Rock

I have been in Jonesboro before and enjoy the college town.  I wanted to make it a destination for the night and instead got in this morning . I was feeling exhausted!  I didn't sleep the night before with all the bugs biting me and needed caffeine to get me going, or at least to keep me from falling asleep.  

I saw the hazy red sun rise north of town, the same hazy red I saw all week in Indiana. I thought the haze was from the humidity, but I learned on NPR the red is from the smoke from all the wildfires out West! Indiana had been warning its residents that this haze brings with it toxic air particulants that can cause pulmonary issues.

I parked in town at a coffee shop right across from the brewpub I had visited six years ago.  I needed to recharge my phone and Chromebook.

I found a nearby trail via Alltrails.com, the Craigshead Lake Loop.  It was only six miles south of town and 2.4 miles around the lake.  There are also paved trails for cyclists, dirt trails for hikers through the forest, but I just wanted a quick morning walk with the dogs near water.  This turned out to be a great idea for the dogs.

The Craigshead Forest Park was created in 1937.  It's free to enter, which is impressive since it has flush toilets, drinking water fountains, playgrounds, a campground, bike trails, hiking trails and at least seven pavilions.  There's even a dog beach and a dog jumping pier that the pups enjoyed.  How cool is that?!  I enjoyed watching the dogs swim around the shallow water.  This was their bliss after hours in a hot car despite the AC being on high.  I would have stayed longer at this park for their benefit, but needed to move westward after yesterday's poor mileage.  I will keep this park in mind for future visits.

My next destination was North Little Rock.  Clouds were getting dark and I hit a short, but intense, downpour as I entered the city.  I needed to recharge my phone and Chromebook again before taking a walk along the famed riverwalk.   I was now 1286 miles from home; I could easily be home in three days.  The worst part, the drive between Fort Smith, AR and Amarillo, TX, is still ahead of me.

I parked at a brewpub off North Broadway in North Little Rock, Diamond Bear Brewing Company. This turned out to be a winner, with gentle concoctions of summer lagers. Service was excellent, with my server always finishing her statements with "yes, Ma'am!" My meal was a hummus sandwich which was well presented.

I wanted to walk part of the 13-mile riverwalk but couldn't find a safe and designated parking lot.  Some streets were closed because of road work. I finally settled for off-street parking near a construction zone and walked a former railroad bridge (now a pedestrian bridge) to the William J Clinton presidential library. There was part of the riverwalk, but a warning signed alarmed users that the sidewalk was closed along the river going west  I could feel the heat, which reflected off the pavement. If I was hot, surely the dogs were.

I only walked a mile, then found the Carry Miller Island with sand and trees and seclusion. This island is right below the presidential library but seems to get little use.  Just what I needed to let the dogs run offleash and dip in the river before walking back to the car and then trying another brewery, the Flyway Brewing.

All the beers at Flyway Brewing have bird names.  Arkansas is along a major migratory route.  A colorful mural showing migrating birds is on one side of the building. I tried the Bluebird blueberry wheat and Honeybird blonde.  I sipped slowly and stayed until just before closing, but then decided to get more mileage and drove to Russellville, a town off I-44 75 miles NW of North Little Rock.

The trailhead to Mount Nebo State park is just outside of town another 15 miles.  This will be my hike in the morning.

 

Bloomington, IN

I was up early.  It was 4:45am when I walked the dogs around the Miller-Showers park off Walnut Avenue, a block from the old Big Wheel restaurant.  This is a new park. Lights from the street lighted the path well enough.  This park is now in the old median between Walnut and College Avenue.  Back in the 80s it was a mere median.  The loop around the two storm ponds in the middle is just a mile.  This was enough to get the dogs warmed up before their breakfast.

I stopped at a Starbucks for coffee and to recharge my phone. Then I headed ten miles south of town to hike the 6.3- mile Pate Hollow trail. This was a ridge walk up and down into three ravines and a dip of Lake Monroe. There is a gnome house in a tree near the trailhead.

The dogs enjoyed this hike. The dogs chased each other and every chipmunk that dared to cross their paths. Despite the high humidity, the canopied forest kept us cool, although I was drenched by the time I was done. There was also plenty of water in each ravine.

I only came across two people, one at the start and the second one at the end. There were no annoying insects, either.

I stopped in Bloomington for lunch at the Upland Brewery. This place is popular, with a large outdoor patio. I had hummus with a pint of "Breaking Away", summer ale with lemon and ginger (ABV 4.5).  I only had one beer because I had a long drive ahead of me.

I wanted to make it to Jonesboro, AR but the heat quickly slowed me down as soon as I got on I-69 south of Bloomington.  I kept nodding off and didn't want to cause an accident, so I pulled off a country road which took me instead to US41, past Evansville and eventually into Kentucky.

I stopped again in Henderson to walk the dogs along the riverwalk, but the humidity was still too intense.  I let them dip in the river, walked 1.5 miles and then continued.

Kentucky wasn't in the original route but I enjoyed this drive along rolling lush hillsides, horses and old buildings.  I was on US60 now going west and stopped in Paducah for a meal and a beer at the Grounded Brewery.  It was created out of an old Coca-Cola Bottling company, with a spacious outdoor seating.  I kept the dogs in the car parked in the shade while I sampled two light lagers and a shittake pizza from the Mellow Mushroom pizzeria next door.  

Paducah has an interesting history.  It's home to a prison and also flooded old town that disappeared with the creating of the nearby r.eservoir.  My first husband's dad was from this town (he moved to northern Indiana for a job in the steel mills)  and my first husband would spend summers here as a kid with his paternal grandparents. He told me that whenever a prisoner was executed, the lights in town would all dim for a few seconds.

I will have to leave Paducah for another time.  I wanted to get to Jonesboro but it was a slow-go.  The bugs were biting hard.  I kept pulling over to nap for 10 minutes, then drive on.  The route I was following on Google Maps kept taking me on country roads.  I pulled over in a school parking lot at 3:13am and by 3:30am a polite young police officer told me I could not park there, but that he didn't want me driving tired and suggested a nearby parking area.  "those are some polite dogs!" he commented about my two tired pups, who didn't even bark when the man approached the Honda. 

McCormick's Creek State Park (Spencer, IN) and Bloomington

I had a quick morning: I got up early enough to see Erin, Owen and Ben before they left for work and school, walked the dogs around the square, showered, packed the car with the final objects,. then sat with Ethan until his other grammy picked him up for football practice. I stopped in Crown Point to bid farewell to Carol and Marge, but only stayed 45 minutes because it was already getting warm.  Today's high was forecasted to be 86F

My big hike today was at McCormick's Creek State Park in Spencer, IN, 15 miles west of Bloomington.  It's a busy park with several limestone standouts: the creek and the waterfall, Wolf Cave, Twin Bridges.  I wanted to see the highlights, walk five miles, then spend the rest of the day in Bloomington and see how it's changed since my last visit ten years ago. 

The park is a network of ten short hikes.  Not all start at the same point.  I wanted to see the waterfall first so that the dogs could cool down.  They didn't drink in the three-hour drive to Bloomington.  And thirsty they were!  They heard the rushing water and made a beeline to the creek.  Trail be damned!  I followed them on the unmarked shortcut that took me down a slippery grade.

The waterfall area was busy.  I could tell this is a popular spot.  There's even a vehicle parking area for the waterfall.  Three golden retrievers were in the deep end with their owners and I didn't want my pups to ruin their fun bny barking.  I was wearing jeans and my run-down loafers; not the perfect attire for a water hike.

I wanted more solitude.  I needed to get away from the crowds so that the dogs could run off-leash.  I wanted to hike both trails #3 and #5, but they are on opposite ends of the park and daylight was limited.  I ended up going on a plowed non-trail that took me to the edge of the park and a residential neighborhood, so I backtracked back to my car.  This was a three-mile out-and-back jaunt.  Wolf Cave was another two miles on the park road.

Trail #5 is a two-mile loop that takes one through the Wolf Cave preserve.  The cave and natural bridge are at the half-way mark.  Sinkholes dot the trail. A small creek runs through this loop.  Mature trees shade the area.  The late afternoon sun was getting low, providing light but allowing for the cool evening to get started. I had planned my arrival here well, because I did not want to hike in the heat of the day.

I liked this part of the park.  It was 5:30pm when I started.  Most people were walking back to their cars when I got started.  I walked another short section of Trail #10 that takes one down to the creek and the White River, but I cut that short because I also wanted to get to Bloomington in time to try out one of the brewpubs.

And oh boy, how Bloomington has changed since my college days here in the early 1980s.  I barely recognized the downtown area.  Apartment complexes now dot the downtown area.  Big hotels dot both Walnut and College Avenues, the main streets going north-south off IN37.  Interstate 69 is now getting built to make getting into town from Indianapolis faster.  In my day the only good route was IN37 but today there was a lot of construction because of the new interstate.  The old Taco Bell on 10th street is now an Indian take-out. The old Big Wheel restaurant is now a Steak and Shake.  The Gold Rush restaurant now stands abandoned. Bloomington is now an upscale, hip college town with  all the modern amenities.

The biggest change since my last visit was the closing of Kirkwood Avenue to vehicles.  It's now pedestrian-only traffic.  While Nick's Place, the Von Lee Theatre and Kilroy's are still there, there are so many new chain diners along the street.  There are several greenways through town that weren't there in the 80s.

Bloomington Brewing Company is next door to Kilroy's.  It's here that I chose to have dinner, my first meal of the day.  I had a Mosaic Wheat with my mushroom tortellini.  The noodles were delicious, but the beer just mediocre.  "If you want to get fucked up," said the man next to me at the bar, "Go to Taps!"  That's a new beer bar and apparently a local favorite.  "Don't go to Switchyard, their beers suck!" he added.  He already looked very well inebriated.

I stopped by the Switchyard anyway.  This building used to be Oscar's Bar back in the 80s. I was parked right up front and the dogs were napping.  A live blues band was playing so the place was loud and crowded. I found the beer here much better, so I had a blueberry wheat and an Orange Blossom Blonde.  I stayed until closing, then drove around on the east side of town to see more changes. That part of town was already getting heavily developed with restaurants and retail stores.  Now it's crowded with every imaginable chain.

https://www.visitbloomington.com/blog/post/48-hours-in-bloomington-summer/

I'll edit this next week

Last day with the family

Today is my last full day with Erin and the boys.

The many walks with the dogs while here have tired me out.  I didn't walk the dogs at sunrise.  I didn't even walk them until almost 8am, when I drove to the Sunset Hills Farm County Park on the north side of Valparaiso.  Alltrails list it as having three miles of trail.

Sunset Hills Farm was once a daity farm run by the Murray family.  The husband, Robert, was a WWI veteran and is buried on the land.  The land is still being used in part as a community garden and education center for young children, but most of the land is either native prairie or old growth forest.

There were many teens out in the park running.  It looked like a cross-country training event.  I kept the dogs on leash so that they were not bothering anyone.  Today the dogs were eager to chase after squirrels.

It got warm fast and I quickly favored the shaded forest, but that is where the mosquitoes were.

I managed three miles and then drove back to Erin's.  I was now done exploring all the nature preserves and county parks around Valparaiso. Ethan was already awake now and we had lunch together at a new restaurant close to Valparaiso University: Industrial Revolution Eatery.  It would be Ethan and I's last meal together.  I've enjoyed spending quality alone time with him.  In a few years I hope to be able to take all three boys out to lunch.

I ended up spending several hours in the backyard watching over the neighbors' three kids.  This kept me from cleaning out my car until Nick got home at 4pm.  With two boxes of my dad's stuff now in the back, there is less room for the dogs and me to sleep on.  The drive back is going to be an adventure, and I hope it doesn't involve more dog puke.

We finished off the day with Ethan and Erin joining me on a two-mile dog walk around the neighborhood.  Ethan was on his skateboard getting pulled by his dog Macks.

I will leave Erin's place by 8am, stop by and visit Carol one more time, then head south on I-65 and spend the day in Bloomington, IN and McCormick's Creek State Park for more grotto hiking.  There are a few more brewpubs in town, too, since my last visit ten years ago. Weather should be clear and in the upper 80s for most of my drive through the Midwest.

Cowles Bog Trail and the Indiana Lakeshore

 Day 11.  Sunday

Just a few days left before I have to head back to Arizona. 

https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/cb16.htm

I was up early to walk the dogs around the "art walk" walking parth and added an extra mile by going around Foundation pond.  The entire walk has a sidewalk for walkers.  I met only two other walkers at 5:30am.  This was 3.4 miles long; I knew that hiking Cowles Bog later with Ethan and the pups would be another 4.3 miles and I was in no hurry to walk more.  The wide paths and the many urban trails in Valparaiso make this a very pleasant town to visit. 

I told Ethan we were hiking the Cowles Bog trail today.  It's one of my favorite dunes trail.  I hiked it most every time I visited the area.  It's named after Henry Chandler Cowles, who studied ecological succession of the dunes early in the 20th century.  His work helped preserve the dunes.  

The National Park Service took over the management of the dune trails in February 2019.  The Indiana National Lakeshore is now the Indiana Dunes National Park.  I have seen some improvement with new boardwalks, wider trails, portapots, re-routed trails and now manned parking areas.  While using the trails is still free, parking lots will be closed to new arrivees if there is no room in the parking area.

The first thing I noticed when we got to the parking area at 2pm was a park ranger manning the lot.  She told us we were the last car allowed in until another car leaves.  What luck!  With three anxious dogs wanting out of the  car, waiting in a vehicle was not a good option.  I don't ever remember this trail being so busy.

I made sure we took the most direct route to the beach.  We parked in the lot closest to the beach.  

I like the diversity of this trail. This trail travels west before bending to the north.  One begins in a black oak savanna, north of an old bog.  There are ferns and wetland flowers here, although I've seen more variety in other years.  There are two dunes one has to climb before descending toward the beach and the dune grass.  The exposed sand can get hot.

There were a lot of people on the trail coming in both directions.  We had to keep the dogs onleash.  Macks stayed by Ethan but my dogs pulled.

We were still high on the last dune when we could hear loud country music.  It sounded like there were people below us on the dune.  No, it was music blasting off one of many motorized boats anchored off shore a quarter mile away.  That music played the entire time we were on the beach.

I never saw so many people on this beach before.  The beach used to be isolated and littered with trash. Burns Harbor and the power plant are at the trail's edge, so it isn't very scenic at the beach.  Today there were a lot of boats offshore facing north.  Families were on the beach enjoying the water.  So much for letting the pups run free! 

Ethan did not hesitate to get in.  Neither did Macks.  My two dogs, however, were busier wrestling with each other, both in the water and in the sand.  They also enjoyed digging in the sand right next to me, spraying damp sand on all our stuff.

I stayed on shore with our stuff and watched Ethan and the dogs.  My dogs have really warmed up to him.  He's also tender with them.  Macks doesn't like Ethan giving my dogs any attention but he is not over-protective of him.

We stayed until 3pm.  Storm clouds were already forming to our south and I didn't want to be under the trees if it rained.  People were still coming to the beach late in the afternoon, but now the parking lot was  half full.  My tracker recorded us hiking 4.98 miles

We had another sweet stop at Culver's, then spent most of the day in the backyard with the neighbors' kids.  The stay-at-home mom doesn't do a very good job watching over her younger kids and lets them wander into Erin's yard unsupervised.  They are nice kids, but they can be demanding.  As soon as they see Ethan, Owen or Benjamin in the backyard, they run out to play with them.  They will also knock on the door and ask if Ethan can come out.  Last year the kids used to come right into Erin's home, but apparently they don't do that anymore.

We had some thunder late in the afternoon, but the rain passed us by.  Today was our first rain-free day.

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2019/02/15/indiana-dunes-becomes-national-park-after-century-long-effort/2882357002/

Meadowbrook Nature Preserve

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/indiana/meadowbrook-nature-preserve-trail-1

https://www.strava.com/activities/5643516656

Erin had a family reunion with her husband's family all day, so I was alone again.  I kept busy, though.

I walked the dogs around "the square," local lingo for a walking path nearby that is a block mile, encircling a pond and more wetlands.  Local artists display some of their work along the eastern street.  There were many other dogs along with the owners.  Both of my dogs barked at all of them.  I'm getting tired of this aggressive behavior and an thinking of using shock collars on them.  (I thought the same thing last year with Hansel and Gretel and they eventually outgrew their aggression.)

Erin and the boys left for their reunion at 10 and I left her house an hour later.  My destination today was Meadowbrook Nature Preserve, a former Girl Scout camp.  It's on the north side of Valparaiso.  I found out about it via Alltrails.com

The trails are well-marked.  I started out with Trail #1, the perimeter trail.  I didn't pay attention to the signage (no surprise there) and ended up on Trail #3, so I just walked the perimeter a second time and made sure I followed directions and before I knew it, I had walked two hours and 5.24 miles and did just about every trail in the preserve.

It's easy to get lost in thought while walking.  The sounds of nature always soothe me.  This morning it was the sounds of the various birds and the smell of the flowers.  I walked past fields of Bergamot and purple coneflowers (my local favorite) and ripe bramble berries, of which I picked a few.  There were "No Foraging" signs at every trail intersection, but I wasn't foraging...the berries were right on the trail!

The abandoned camp sites that the Girl Scouts used are still standing.  The immediate area was overgrown.  The boardwalk across the dried pond was covered in vine, the outhouse was also left to nature.  Picnic tables were getting swallowed by the native flora.  The main camp house seems to be used still as a storage and work area. I took a rest here on a shaded back patio facing the ravine.  I could hear distant traffic but we were all alone in the middle of an old camping ground.  How cool is that?

Sahne cried out suddenly near the end of the walk. What had hurt her?  She kept on crying loudly but didn't give me any hints of where an injury was.  And then I saw it.  It was one of those biting flies that had embedded in her ear. I quickly squashed that fly.  Sahne continued crying for a while.  Oh, the drama never ends!  She calmed down when we got back to the car.  I checked her over.  There were no other hitch hikers on her.

It was just past 2pm when we got back to the car.  Holy coneflower, where had the time gone?  I told Carol I'd come by her place at 4pm.

I met Carol's family at her old home.  All of her belongings were in the garage.  John, her brother, gave me three boxes of my dad's stuff.  This is stuff meant for Iris and me and our kids: home videos, awards, VHS tapes, photographs.  I can't possibly take all this stuff back to Arizona with me.  The car is now overloaded with little room for the dogs to stretch out in.  I will need to ask Erin to go through the stuff and take out what she wants.

The day ended with good news: I'm going back to the classroom July 30th.  Students return August 4th.

Walking the lakeshore

Ethan and I had agreed to walk the beach today around noon.  I always enjoy time spent along the lakeshore, but the rain didn't look like stopping. If our plans became a washout, at least I got to spend some of today with Ethan.

The rain came down hard at times.  I'm glad I heeded Erin's advice to walk the dogs early, during one brief stop in the downpour, and to get the dogs out of the car for a walk.  They had slept soundly overnight.  Rain was forecasted to end in the afternoon.

We had a pleasant lunch at a local Italian restaurant, Pesto's.  We both had chicken alfredo.

Ethan wanted to take his dog Macks along to the beach.  I reminded him that we would have to let Macks interact with both Sheba and Sahne before we drove off with them.  Macks tolerates the dogs but is cautious around them.

Today my dogs were back to being barky again, to which Nick commented that my dogs were always aggressive and not nice dogs.  Nick caught Sheba and Sahne growling at each other over food I had given them.  Yes, both dogs can be food aggressive when they are hungry and can get angry. Ethan seemed to have no trouble with my dogs.  To me their behavior was simply them showing discomfort in an unfamiliar area.

The dogs did settle down, though.  Macks sat up front with Ethan and my dogs sat in the rear as I drove the 23 miles to the beach.  I had cleaned out the back of the Honda earlier and hopefully got most of the remaining vomit removed.  This wet weather isn't helping my car dry out. 

We finally got to the trailhead parking area off East State Park Boundary Road at 4:08pm.  The lot was half full and most of the people were at Kemil Beach.  We were heading west of there, on Indiana Dunes State Park property.

The beach was barren, barren of people, seagulls and biting flies.  This is so unusual for mid July.  It was 70F and  breezy.  I'm glad I brought my thin sweater along. The sky was a medium shade of grey and darker clouds lingered to our east.   The clouds prevented us from seeing the Chicago skyline. Pebbles of varied sizes lined the water line.  This is not the typical beach day in July, when this beach is crowded with beach walkers, sun bathers, swimmers, waders, and happy wet dogs.

The beach was wider today than it was last summer, but the sand had defined lines of dark streaks in it from industrial waste. There were white caps on the waves and  it was these crashing waves that kept my dogs from jumping in the water.  Macks was more adventuresome.  My dogs were more interested in wrestling with each other.  Sometimes they chased after Macks.  There was no fighting.  All three dogs stayed close by.  They behaved as I had hoped they would.

Ethan seemed to enjoy the walk.  Now that he's in 7th grade and in football, he is taking our hikes more seriously.  "My coach wants us to walk ten miles a week" he commented. I replied that we could do that in three days.

At times we kept our distance and didn't talk much. He was deep in thought and I was enjoying the sounds of the crashing waves. He stayed focused on his dog and with engaging with him.  Even my dogs took to him.  When Ethan wanted to climb up a sand ridge, the dogs would follow.  They followed him up and down two sand dunes. When Ethan went into a small pool of water, they went in with him.  He has a way with dogs.

It was like this for 2.4 miles before we turned around.  We were only a quarter mile from the western edge of the state park and the public beach where no dogs are allowed anyway.  Our walk took us two hours for the 4.76 miles.

The dogs looked tired afterward but perked up when they each got a pup cup at Dairy Queen.